We still don't know the reasons behind his alleged actions, but we do know he's off the streets. Police at 51 Division have arrested a suspect,
24-year-old Farid Maronisi, after three random people were stabbed in the downtown core.
Maronisi is facing three counts of attempted murder.
The shocking story began at around 11:30am Tuesday, when someone approached a 40-year-old man near
Adelaide and Yonge Sts. "A male confronted him, came up behind him, grabbed him by the neck and stabbed him three times," relates Det. Sgt. Neil Corrigan.
It happened without warning - and apparently without reason. The victim staggered bleeding into a local café pleading for help. Joe Chan, the son of the owner of Tea Masters, rushed to his aid. "[He] came into the store, holding onto his neck," he recounts. "He was bleeding, and asked us to call the ambulance ... So then I saw that he was holding his neck, I saw some blood, I quickly called the ambulance, I got him some paper towels and some water."
But the mystery didn't end there. About 10 minutes later, cops were called to the intersection of
Sherbourne and Queen, where two women were waiting for a streetcar. The suspect suddenly appeared in front of them and brandished the knife again, cutting both of them on the face, before running away.
What puzzles those investigating the crimes is the randomness of the attacks. "None of the victims knew their attacker," confirms Corrigan. "This is completely unprovoked and he's unknown at this point."
So far there are few details about the man's apprehension or the alleged motive for the bizarre crimes. Police had released very grainy security stills of the wanted man earlier in the day, a long shot clue that paid off when someone recognized the figure depicted in them.
Two of the three victims were treated at St. Michael's Hospital, but none of their wounds are serious.